A Good Day: Obama Stands With Troops Instead of Wealthy Predatory Colleges

At Fort Stewart, Georgia, today, President Obama signed an executive order aiming to protect U.S. troops, veterans, and their families from the predatory abuses of some for-profit colleges. It remains to be seen if this new directive will do enough to guide our service members into programs that actually help them build careers — and away from programs that leave them deep in debt. But President Obama delivered powerful remarks, charging that some for-profit education companies “aren’t interested in helping you…. They are interested in getting the money.” He called their conduct “appalling” and “disgraceful” and told the troops that these schools are “trying to swindle and hoodwink you.” This was an inspiring moment from the perspective of Republic Report, whose subject is the corrupting influence of money on our politics. Obama stood up for principles of fiscal responsibility and honest government and for economic opportunity and growth. And he stood with the men and women of our armed forces and with all our citizens seeking better lives. In order to do all that, he had to stand up against the big campaign donors and powerful lobbyists behind the for-profit education industry, which called Obama’s action a “deeply unfortunate development.” A good day for democracy and for our country. WATCH IT.

Oh, yes, what a magnificent day! The guy stands up for warmongering and child slavery…at the same time! He’s a hero of sorts and makes that Nobel Peace Prize shine with all his qualities, justice and humanity. Obama makes Bush pale in comparison. How disgusting!

Must be missing something – this article doesn’t say anything about “warmongering” or “chlid slavery” as the other two commenters posted Guess sometimes our President can’t do anything to make some happy.

Hatshepsut

I don’t find an expression of support for veterans “warmongering” The President is certainly correct in pointing out the profit driven motives of many institutions of high learning and their debilitating effects on all students seeking a useful education.

R Andrew Ohge

While always a champion of getting the best education you can-wherever or whatever that is, I usually remind folks to have an “Exit Plan” for that education, and to never forget, the “Career Counselor” is a Salesman.

CatKinNY

It’s about time that someone pointed out to the troops that these private schools, which spend $2000 in recruiting for every $700 they spend in instruction, and have the highest drop out rates and the lowest job placement rates, are a terrible way for them to invest their precious GI Bill education dollars, the very thing most of them enlist to earn. All taxpayers should be grateful too, since we are the ones on the hook for those education dollars, and we all have a stake in seeing our soldiers launched in a successful post military life.

The next step is to pass laws restricting these criminals from stealing our youngers’ educations. And to salary and bonus administrators for successful graduations and successful employment searches by students.

The rest of us have to perform to get paid. It’s time administrators and doctors were paid the way we are. Not to mention CEOs and Board Members. As long as we let these parasites prey on us they’ll keep sucking our blood. It’s time to make laws about it.

Republic Report is dedicated to rooting out the corruption that is so corrosive to American values. We investigate and uncover the buying and selling of politicians and of institutions entrusted with upholding the public interest. We expose how big money distorts major policy decisions – harming our economy and our people.